Free Republic

HONOLULU: Canada, Mexico and at least two other countries have expressed interest in joining US-led talks for a pan-Pacific trade pact, a US Republican lawmaker said on Friday after Japan asked to take part. “There’s a good deal of momentum for the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership),” Representative Kevin Brady said after meetings with members of President Barack Obama’s administration at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. That momentum was evidenced by Japan’s announcement earlier on Friday that it was interested in joining the talks “and what seem to be very solid inquiries from Canada, Mexico and a few others,” Brady...

Jon Huntsman was endorsed by Columbia, S.C.'s The State newspaper on Sunday. The endorsement comes less than a week before the South Carolina primary and comes as Huntsman quickly tries to gain traction in the Palmetto state. The State's endorsement is actually similar to what happened just before the New Hampshire primary: Mitt Romney's hometown paper, The Boston Globe, backed Huntsman in a long editorial in which it compared Romney with the former Utah governor. Like the Globe endorsement, The State praised both Romney and Huntsman but said Huntsman was the better candidate. "There are actually two sensible, experienced grownups," The...

U.S. Navy Expects to Base Ships in Singapore By SHAUN TANDON, Agence France-Presse Published: 17 Dec 2011 13:04 WASHINGTON - The United States, facing a rising China but a tighter budget, expects to station several combat ships in Singapore and may step up deployments to the Philippines and Thailand, a naval officer said. The United States has been increasingly vocal about defending freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where tensions over territorial disputes between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations have been on the rise. Related Topics In an academic article forecasting the shape of the U.S. Navy in...

“I’d rather go to war in a Typhoon than in a F-18 (Super) Hornet” an Aussie exchange pilot says December 5, 2011 “I’d rather go to war in a Typhoon than in a F-18 Hornet”. This alleged Australian exchange pilot’s statement is one of the most interesting outcomes (and marketing slogans) of BERSAMA LIMA 11 an exercise marking the 40th Anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Agreement (FPDA) the only multilateral defence agreement in South East Asia with an operational element commitment undertaken by five nations (UK, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Australia) to consult in the event of an...

Tiny Singapore to spend $23 bln on defence by 2015-Jane's SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Tiny Singapore, with a population of 5.2 million and a land area half the size of Greater London, is likely to spend $23 billion on purchases of patrol aircraft, helicopters and other military equipment by 2015, according to a new report by IHS Jane's. The Southeast Asian city-state, flanked by Indonesia and Malaysia, sits on one of the busiest sea lanes in the world and lists piracy as one of the main security threats in the region. IHS Jane's said while ties with China were cordial and...

US offered F-16s ‘to anticipate rising China’ Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The United States has reportedly asked for Indonesia’s help to counter the increasing influence of China, particularly in the South China Sea, which some foreign policy analysts say reflects the US’ strategy of “proxy by war”. An Indonesian source, who closely followed the contacts between the two countries, recently told The Jakarta Post that the US had asked Indonesia to receive 24 used F-16 fighter jets from the US, rather than purchasing new ones that would come in a fourth number of the granted units. The Indonesian...

Somebody forgot to tell Panama about the eurozone crisis. While the rest of the world is slowing, its economy is set to expand by 10 per cent this year and 7.5 per cent next. And those are real figures, as Finance Minister Frank de Lima told beyondbrics. In the nominal terms most people use, those numbers hit the teens. Few countries, perhaps none, can match that. The canal is responsible for most of this growth. Indeed, since the country took it over in 1999, Panama’s economy has tripled in size. That remarkable performance is because Panama runs the canal more...

forum.internet-haganah.com/showthread.php?272 "Sign that the goods are meant for the IRGC?" (October 27, 2011) SNIPPET: "The modules in question are radio transmitters used in IED's that killed and wounded American service members in Iraq. They were purchased from a US firm through intermediaries in Singapore. Final destination? Tehran." SNIPPET: "Mahan Air is no ordinary airline. Rather it appears to be the official air transport arm of the IRGC's Qods Force."

A Singaporean soldier who was pictured with a maid carrying his backpack has identified himself to his commander and undergone counselling, officials say. The soldier was "remorseful", defence official Col Desmond Tan said in a letter published in the Straits Times. The recruit was undergoing physical training prior to basic training. The image, which was first published on social media sites, has led to debate in Singapore on whether conscripts and their training are tough enough....

RSS Archer submarine arrives in Singapore RSS Archer, the most advanced submarine in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), arrived here for the first time on Wednesday morning. Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng and other senior naval officers were at Changi Naval Base to witness its arrival from Karlskrona, Sweden. The Archer-class boat is one of two former Royal Swedish Navy Vaastergotland-class submarines acquired second-hand by the RSN in 2005. It was launched in Karlskrona for sea trials two years ago, after undergoing upgrading to operate in tropical water conditions. Submarine crew members from the RSN have been...

Southeast Asia’s underwater bazaar Ristian Atriandi Supriyanto, Singapore A scan of recent naval procurement by Southeast Asian navies points to the fact that submarines top their shopping lists. Thailand and the Philippines have been talking the talk to add submarines to their fleets. Thailand plans to buy six ex-German Navy Type-206 submarines. Despite facing domestic criticisms against the plan, Bangkok believes the US$257 million purchase will be money well-spent. The Thai Navy argues that the underwater warships are needed to patrol the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand and catch up with neighboring navies’ modernization. The Philippines, too, has recently...

A recent article in the Jakarta Globe states that some backpacker hostels in Singapore are going upmarket, to cater to a rising number of backpackers with bigger budgets.   Well, this isn't entirely true.   It isn't just backpackers looking for reasonably priced place to stay but businessmen and tourists as well who have been looking for a decent place to stay without having to pay an arm and a leg. If you are looking for a hotel room in Singapore expect to pay anywhere from S$200 (US$165) to S$600 (US$493) a night.  On the high end, Singapore has some of...

A WAR hero's medals have revealed the untold story of a Scottish soldier who survived three years of suffering building the notorious Burma Railway. Kenneth McLeod, who has died aged 92, was captured by the Japanese in the Second World War and was one of the last surviving veterans who worked on the bridge over the River Kwai. Now his daughter and son are donating his war medals, Glengarry bonnet and sporran to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders museum at Stirling Castle, where he was based more than 70 years ago. Mr McLeod, of Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, was...

The sex barrier is coming down in clinics that fix frown lines, zap away wrinkles and fill out facial furrows. Singaporean men, now a common sight in mani-pedi spas and in the skin-care product sections of stores, are invading the clinics and going under the laser, knife or needle to look younger and fitter. T.F. Tan, an investment banker in his 40s, started Botox treatments at the Calvin Chan Aesthetic & Laser Clinic three years ago and has been going back every six months to get refresher jabs. The injections around his forehead fix a pet peeve of his: three...

The over abundance of My Kingdom comes from the riches of your intimacy with Me(JESUS) in Glory , for I AM The Kingdom , The Glory and the Power and your Godhead ! So "BE" within My breath for My fullness to pour out of you and as you abide in "This" Holy Place I "shall" do the exceeding and manifest where you stand for I shall " BE " . For You can not practice what is "TRUE" , "ETERNAL" and "FLOWING" ! Matthew 6:13 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil...

THERE are now even more jobs chasing jobseekers, according to the latest labour report by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). In the first three months of the year, there were 139 openings for every 100 job seekers - a figure not seen since the pre-recession highs of December 2007, MOM revealed yesterday. This is an increase from the previous quarter, where there were 104 job openings for every 100 jobseekers. Employment creation in the first quarter of the year was found to be stronger than what MOM had previously estimated, although it has eased from the robust gains during the...

Attention All Singapore FReepers: I'm in Singapore for the 4th of July - would be a wonderful time to meet other FReepers living and working here to celebrate our nation's independence day! Anything planned here FRiends?

Goldman Sachs plans major job cuts in the United States while planning a major hiring spree in Singapore. With profits coming under major pressure in the U.S., Goldman appears to be launching possibly the most aggressive effort among big banks to expand overseas where the business climate is more favorable. A major source of trouble for banks and investment firms is the new regulatory environment. Those regulations, found primarily in the Dodd/Frank financial reform bill sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd and his counterpart in the House, Congressman Barney Frank, have forced banks to hold higher capital reserves and also forced...

There’s a currency I think of as the “anti-dollar” that continues to appreciate against the US dollar. Unlike gold, the “anti dollar” can be used to maximize other investments. I’ll reveal this currency in a moment. But first, why would you want an “anti-dollar” in the first place? The US has a multi-decade history of borrow and spend. Worse than that, it’s more extreme today than ever before. The government has to borrow about half of what it spends. And policy makers are printing money like crazy to “stimulate” the economy (even if they do give it fancy names like...

Does anyone use Singapore Math? I have a 4th grader (I am tutoring) who is floundering in school. He seems to be solid in all his math basics, but cannot grasp the SM. I am ordering the books so I can help him; should I order the Teachers' Books too? Do people like SM? WHY???